Member Reviews

Charming holiday novel! I thought there’d be more romance, but it was still a fun escape read and Scotland always has my heart.

Was this review helpful?

This book had me interested from the beginning but then it sort of fell flat for me. I needed things to move along a little bit more with the romance storyline earlier on. That being said, I did press on and enjoyed the holiday vibes.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!!

I really enjoyed this book!! It was so cute!! I enjoyed the setting and all of the characters! I loved the story! Such good writing style!!

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this sweet read. This is a grumpy-sunshine romance, but also has a lot of funny parts and quirky characters which makes is such a fun read. The story is set in the Scottish Highlands and our heroine Olivia has terrible luck with men. She thinks she's found a winner in Fraser Douglas, a Scottish chef, but then he ghosts her a well. Olivia is fed up and decides to drive from her home in England to Scotland to give Fraser a piece of her mind.

That's when things go sideways. She is close to the restaurant/inn where Fraser works when she gets a flat tire and ends up on the side of the road. Then, she encounters a friendly Highland cow, and she has a fall which knocks her out. She is able to briefly play off some amnesia and gets welcomed into the dilapidated inn by Fraser's cousin Effie. When Olivia "Liv" encounters Fraser, he does not seem to recognize her and so she continues the charade of amnesia. A blizzard arrives, bringing with it a car of strangers who need lodging for the night.

This book was funny and sweet. There was no spice in the romance but that was fine, as the setting and the characters more than make up for that. I would recommend this to anyone who loves stories set in the Highlands, especially romances.

Was this review helpful?

A funny and sweet story which is very fast paced, and had some funny moments in it. This was the perfect clean romantic romcom! I loved all the characters, especially young and innocent Effie. The book talks about ghosting, online catfishing, and helping your man in times of trouble. A romantic romcom about what can happen if you open your heart - This is a perfect for a Christmas/ holiday read and isn't too long!

Was this review helpful?

I really couldn't get into this. I couldn't connect with any of the characters.
It started really slow, and I felt that it didn't pick up any pace.
Liv has signed up to a dating app. They are getting.on really well when suddenly she is ghosted.
Liv decides to head to Scotland and confront Fraser.
I'm probably in the minority but this, for me, wasn't a usual Bella book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Aria and Aries for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I received a free copy of, Mistletoe Magic in the Highlands, by Bella Osborne, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Olivia Bingham does not have the best taste in men, she has been ghosted a lot. When she meets Fraser on a dating app, she thinks he could be the one, until he ghosts her too!. Olivia decides to go to the Highlands to meet Fraser in the flesh. I would love to spend Christmas in The Scottish Highlands, how beautiful it would be. I enjoyed this book.

Was this review helpful?

I really loved reading this book. I live in the highlands of Scotland so I enjoyed the local areas within the book. I really liked the pace of the story and how you learn about each character and their connections to each other. I loved the relationships within the book and how liv finds herself again.

Was this review helpful?

I really wanted to like this one (I mean, look at that cute cover with Ginger the coo). I just did not connect at all with the characters. Liv seems like a nice, sharp girl, yet her deceit did not sit well with me. I never really felt the connection between her and Fraser. Yes, there was tension which I can see would be meant to equal passion, but he just seemed like an inappreciative grump. Some of the side characters were cute and even endearing, but again, there just seemed to be a lack of connection. There was a lot of unnecessary language and innuendos that felt out of place for the type of story. I am sure there are others who will connect and enjoy it, but I just did not.
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own.

Was this review helpful?

This book is the perfect festive read, all the cozy fibes and winter magic.
A classic Christmas romance, with well rounded characters and full of Scottish charm,

Liv is unlucky in love and when she matches with Frazer the "outlander" man of her dreams its all seems too good to be true,
which it ends up being, which leads her racing up to Scotland to give him a piece of her mind!
full of ups and downs, loved it. it you like Sarah Morgan, Laurie Gilmores, and Karen Swam you will like Bella Osborne.

Was this review helpful?

Imagine being ghosted not once but twice! That is the reality for poor Liv! Well, she's through; she's had enough! It is time to confront Fraiser (the latest ghost) and demand to know why! Of course, she had never met Fraiser; they only ever communicated via a dating app, but still, she had feelings, dang it! So, like any sensible woman, she loads up her car and drives 6 hours to give him a tongue lashing and find out what exactly is wrong with her! Upon her arrival at the hotel/restaurant Fraiser's family owns, there are a few missteps, including a winter blizzard that snows them all in. What is more perplexing is Fraiser is acting like he doesn't even know her. Indeed, the man is insufferable, grumpy, and demanding.

This was the perfect clean romantic romcom! I loved all the characters, especially young and innocent Effie. The book talks about ghosting, online catfishing, and helping your fellow man in times of trouble. At its heart, though, this novel is simply a romantic romcom about what can happen if you open your heart.

Was this review helpful?

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

Was this review helpful?

This book was a bit strange and unexpected but cute. As an American, I struggled with some comprehension with lots of Scottish slang and phrases throughout. I really grew to enjoy the sweet cast of quirky characters.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely Love this contemporary Christmas rom-com. There is no “spice” but the banter, characters, and story are 100%. This is definitely for anyone that loves feel good romance.

# Mistletoe Magic in the Highlands
# 8/7/2024 ~ 8/18/2024
# 5.0 / 5.0

Was this review helpful?

This was such an adorable love story and in the most perfect setting! Get yourself comfy, and get ready for an adorable story at wintertime.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for this ARC.

Liv is absolutely livid. Another guy has ghosted her on an online dating website. Just deleted his entire profile! She had such high hopes for kind Fraser - he was easy on the eye and shared her interests of reading and Mariah Carey songs. This time she is not taking it lying down! He is a chef in the Scottish Highlands and as soon as she has Googled the address she is off in her sister's car, to tell him personally what a cockwomble he is (yes, the word is used). Of course, nothing goes to plan. She drives the car into a snowy ditch in increasingly bad weather, just as she is metres from the hotel/restaurant, has a pratfall, hurts both her ankle and her head and originally pretends to have amnesia when asked her name.

Fraser is gorgeous yet grumpy and not very happy about the sudden guest but doesn't seem to recognise her. His young cousin Effie is ecstatic however, and she and her grandmother Dolly warmly welcome her and give her a bed for the night in the run-down, not open for business hotel, that offers stag heads on walls and bats in a wardrobe as fancy extras. There are also enthusiastic rumours of a ghost called Janet. Then the snowstorm gets worse and a newly-wed couple and a snotty influencer need to be given refuge too. Liv gets so swept up with everything that she never finds the time to confront Fraser about his apparent ghosting of her.

I loved all the quirky supporting characters - bubbly Effie and feisty Dolly are a hoot, then there are elderly well-intentioned Minnie and arrest-happy Robbie Williams - the police officer, not the other one! The menagerie is completed by sock-loving Jock'O the dog and music-loving Ginger the cow whose independent streak is strong. In other words, she likes to escape!

This book covers the week before Christmas and gets a lot of story in. We learn of Effie's and Fraser's respective heartbreaks and get a restaurant off the ground. Effie also has a love interest who isn't all he seems. There is a mountain of snow, mistletoe, comforting log fires, a toppling Christmas tree and all the other trimmings.

I absolutely loved this book. It's ruined me for alI other Christmas books. This had it all - banter, shenanigans, graffiti, awful exes and two slowly developing romances.

I had every intention of stopping my reading once it got to midnight but the chapters are so nice and short that I suffered a bout of "just one more chapter"-itis until - whoops - I had finished it! What a great, fun holiday read. It will make you laugh and warm the cockles of your heart at the same time.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed the latest offering from Bella who is becoming an must read author. This is a cute, fluffy Christmas romance set in the Scottish Highlands which are always a wonderful place to read about in the run up to Christmas. Olivia story is one that many people can connect with especially with online dating such a thing these days. I love Bella has used something that is so modern but turned into Christmas magic.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with a copy of this book.

The story centers around Olivia, or Liv, our main character. After being ghosted yet again by a guy named Fraser, she decides to confront him by going to his restaurant. However, a series of unexpected events prevents Liv from facing him, and she ends up stuck with him...

This was a fun, cozy, and light read. I initially struggled with the story because I felt uneasy about Liv not being upfront and lying, but I understand that the book would have been much shorter otherwise. After reaching the 25% mark, I found myself less bothered by it.

Effie was probably my favorite character. She has such a unique and sparkling personality. Whenever her name appeared on the page, you could expect to smile, laugh, or just want to give her a hug. The plot twist involving her at the end was delightful and sweet.

I also enjoyed the multiple perspectives throughout the book, as it allowed us to explore the thoughts of several characters.

Was this review helpful?

Are you ready for your next country side holiday romance? Mistletoe Magic in the Highlands should be your next read.

Was this review helpful?

What a delight this wonderful Christmas read is.

We start off meeting Liv who has been ghosted by Frazer and takes it upon herself to go find him in the Highlands.

Full of humor as always with A Bella Osbourne read, Ginger the cow, warmth and love this is one book you do not want to miss out on.

Thank you for the ARC

Was this review helpful?